STURGIS -- Meade County commissioners narrowly approved ownership transfer of beer and liquor licenses for a popular Sturgis motorcycle rally site Wednesday afternoon.

Approval of the liquor license gives Glencoe Entertainment LLC the authority to sell on Sundays. That license was transferred from Glencoe CampResort and Rock'N the Rally, a campground and amphitheater east of Sturgis.

Aker said he opposed the licenses because some of the land encompassed in the use area is classified as agricultural. He cited the conflicts of commercial use in a designated agriculture setting at an earlier meeting.

"I had some people support the position I gave last time," Aker added. "Nobody tried to change my mind."

Aker earlier this month also expressed concern that the alcohol licenses covered 492 acres. He said he reconsidered and decided that approved applicants should be able to determine their business operations and that an entire property should be considered licensed as a bar.

Cammack said that the business already exists, and it does the same thing every year. He said that made the process straightforward for him.

"We were considering a transfer of a license," Cammack said, explaining his vote. "The considerations are character and location."

County personnel conducted background checks and did not report anything that merited blocking the new applicants from taking over the operation, he said.

Michelle Lamphere manages Glencoe's bar operation and said the food stand, pavilion and nearby patio will serve as on-site sale points. She said that an internal security and management plan will be implemented, and customer identifications will be checked.

Glencoe Camp Resort and Rock’N the Rally applied for transfer of a retail on-sale liquor license with Sunday sales to Glencoe Entertainment LLC. That was tabled until June 17, along with an on-off malt beverage application.

Several speakers opposed the Glencoe request. Meade County resident Tamra Brennan said the facility’s proximity to Bear Butte is a definite issue. She added that noise, pyrotechnics and traffic at Glencoe caused absolute chaos at the butte last year.

“It has been considered sacred and a church for thousands of years,” Brennan said of the butte. Most of the other opposition centered on Glencoe’s proximity to the mountain.

Andrew Iron Shell said he’s certain intoxicated people aren’t running outside other people’s churches and littering the ground. “I’m sure if it was like that, you’d be offended,” he added. “You wouldn’t want your children to see those things.” He favors a five-mile buffer zone.

Commissioners Alan Aker and Doreen Allison-Creed voiced concern about the 492 acres the license would cover. They said they don’t appreciate that some of the property is ag-classified.

Aker explained the county incurs many expenses from alcohol consequences. “The only way we have of paying those expenses is our property tax payments,” he said. Aker added it’s reasonable to expect licenses to occur on commercial land.

Allison-Creed added places like Full Throttle Saloon and portions of Buffalo Chip Campground are on non-ag property. She considers that unfair and said some malt beverage license holders have nearly all their property classified as ag.

Co-chairman Dayle Hammock said the commission does not have the option to consider ag land versus non-ag land. Aker contended location on ag land is part of a liquor license applicant’s location criteria.

Allison-Creed said the county needs to change its law and adopt ordinances concerning liquor and malt beverage sales just like municipalities do. “We need some change at the state level.”

Commissioners also voted to approve the rest of the malt beverage license applications.

Allison-Creed voted for all applications for what she said will be the last time. She added she will oppose them in the future if the property is not commercial.

Her vote was based partly on this time being very close to the rally. Allison-Creed said the sizes of some applicants’ properties need to be condensed.